PhobiX
by Jyemenai
Summary: This story takes place elsewhere, outside New York, in Maryland. New mutants begin popping up after the New Year. This is the story of five...[Ep. 2] Jeffry meets up with another mutant and Phillip deals with issues caused by the event two weeks prior.
1. Ep 1: Dance Dance Evolution

**Quick Note: All these characters are MINE ( except for Desiree, but she's used with permission from here owner. Luv ya Lane!). Do no steal and such.**

This story takes place in the Marvel Universe, however, you won't encounter ANY of them until about the second "season" of this, if it ever gets that far. I'll be making a character website for these characters soon. Until then... ENJOY! If you catch any spelling or grammatical errors that I may have missed, please feel free to send an email to size1 width100 noshade 

if the text after the line is centered, it is a Flash Back

if the text after the line is positioned to the left, then it is in the current time.

* * *

**Phobix – Episode 1 – Dance Dance Evolution**

_No way. No way in hell did all that really happened._ Jeffry Austin shook his head, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. He didn't look completely shaken up, but he sure as hell was on the inside. It was a dreaded Monday, the day of the week that ensured everyone that there were four more days ahead of them. And for those who were forced to recently transfer to Whickerman High school, due to the events two weeks prior, it was even harder.

And for Jeffry, it was even harder than that. He felt— no, he **knew** he was the cause of it all. Not purposely, but he knew he did it. _No, it's not my fault. How could I have destroyed three schools?_ He smiled, splashing water on his face from the sink, and then looking at his reflection in the mirror, letting the water continue to run. He seemed pretty confident with those thoughts. Jeffry grabbed a few paper towels and wiped his face off, tossing the paper in the trash. Of course, he missed; basketball was never his thing. He walked over to the trash and picked it up, tossing it into the can and rolling his eyes. As he was about to leave, but he stopped and listened... It was silent. And he knew that that sound was wrong. Walking back over to the sink he was at, he looked down to the faucet and saw that the water was no longer flowing. It had somehow been turned off… He gulped. _No… I must've turned it off without realizing it. Yea, that's it._ Another roll of his eyes and he began laughing softly; he knew he wasn't crazy. There was no way he could've done those things. The bathroom door opened, and it startled him. It startled him so much that he swore he heard water running. A look to the boy who went into one of the stalls was given before he looked to the sink, which was suddenly on. _Heh. Must've… turned it on to wipe my face again._ Eyes went over to look at the other two sinks, looking at the knobs slowly turn and allow the water to pour. _I knew I shouldn't have come to school today!_ Eyes widened at the events and he dashed out of the bathroom, heading down the hallway. _I should've just stayed home!_

_

* * *

_

_I should've just stayed home!_ Jeffry thought to himself, looking to his watch. It was nearing eight o'clock, and Dandino wasn't there yet! _I knew I should've called him first. _Jeffry pulled out his cell phone, and as if his friend was reading his mind, he got an incoming call. Answering without much hesitation, he put the phone to his ear.

"Dan! Where the hell are you? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

"Sorry, Jeffry. Got a little… caught up. But I can't go now! I'm so sorry buddy."

"What!? You spend a week trying to coax me into going to this New Year's Dance, and you're not even here?" He sighed, looking to the entryway into the school gym of Glenn Oak High School. "I can't believe you're doing this to me, Dan."

"Jeffry, I can't make it now! I have some things that I have to do. Don't worry, though. You don't need me to have a good time. Who knows? You'll probably change the world tonight." Dandino gave his friend a soft chuckle. "But, now I have to go. I have to go see someone. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Aiight man." Jeffry smiled and looked towards the gym as he hung up his cell phone, placing it inside of his slacks. _Might as well. What harm can come from having a little fun?_

_

* * *

'What harm can come from having a little fun?' I said. HAH! Jeffry stormed down the hallway, hearing small sounds of locks being lifted and dropped as he passed. He knew it was him by now, but why admit to such a… thing? Being this different would cause questions, stares, and a hell in his life._Jeffry stormed down the hallway, hearing small sounds of locks being lifted and dropped as he passed. He knew it was him by now, but why admit to such a… thing? Being this different would cause questions, stares, and a hell in his life. Jeffry stormed down the hallway, hearing small sounds of locks being lifted and dropped as he passed. He knew it was him by now, but why admit to such a… thing? Being this different would cause questions, stares, and a hell in his life. 

He turned a corner and headed into the classroom where he was supposed to be. The bell rang at that same instant.

"You must be the last of the new comers. Please stand over there with the other three." A short, gray-haired woman with huge orange and brown glasses pointed to the side of her room with the windows. Jeffry did as he was told, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall.

It had been two weeks since the incident, and he hadn't paid much thought to the facts of what happened that night. There was still no way he could've done that much damage, no way in hell. He closed his eyes and sighed, listening to the woman in the front of the class talk, her voice fading in and out. He wasn't really paying attention to her, anyway.

"Okay, you two, please seat over there." Jeffry opened his eyes due to the woman's voice, seeing her direct two of the other slightly familiar students to a section of the room. "And you two, please take any of the remaining three seats. Mr. Conner Smith probably won't ever come back to class again."

Jeffry pushed himself from the wall and grabbed a seat on the same side, three guys surrounding him, with a seemingly quiet woman to his left.

"Hey," the guy to his right leaned over, "you just transferred here, huh?"

His eyes went over to look at the other, looking him up and down before nodding to his question.

"Cool. I'm William, William Décoy. Which of the three totally fucked high schools are you from?" William laughed and sat back in his seat, keeping his eyes on Jeffry.

He was a bit reluctant to answer his question as first, but was still focused on believing he had little or nothing to do the accident. "Glenn Oak."

"Dude, were you there when all that shit happened? I heard those things just went sla—"

"I know… what happened. I was there." Jeffry shot a look towards William that made him stop. "I know _everything_ that happened…"

* * *

"Everything is going as planned everyone!" DJ Wes, a fellow student at Glenn Oak, announced over the loud speaker for everyone at the dance to hear. The people in the crowd kept dancing, the high-fashioned students having as much fun as possible. "This is going to be a New Year you'll never forget!" Jeffry rolled his eyes and moved over to where a few of his other friends were.

"Jeffry. You feel like getting us some drinks?" His friend, Katherine Cooks, asked him from the table, sitting next to another good friend of theirs, and her date, Jamal Barnes.

"Why don't you have your date get 'em?" Jeffry smiled, crossing his arms as he stood next to the table.

"Because we were talking… and you're not doing anything." Katherine smiled and gave him a wink, returning to a conversation with Jamal. Jeffry sighed and headed to the drink table. _Well,_ he thought, _it gives me an excuse to go find Darrel._ He had to smile at that thought. Darrel was his true crush. Yes, it was a guy. He knew this. And Darrel was his only true crush after first coming to realize who he was. He was there somewhere; all he had to do was find him. _He's wearing that red dress shirt, black and red shades… Oh yea, with the black slacks. Shouldn't be too hard to notice, right? _The first thing he did was get the two drinks. After returning them to the table, he began his search for Darrel. He was there… somewhere.

* * *

"Whoa… dude." William leaned back away from Jeffry for a moment.

"Sorry. Just… it kinda upset me, that's all. I'm Jeffry Austin. I guess I'll be seeing more of you." He held out his hand to shake. _Well… he's cute. Guess this new school won't be so bad._

_

* * *

_

Jeffry stepped into his last period of the day, having forgotten – somewhat – of his experience at the dance and that morning. He had a full day of classes and he was a bit tired, so plopped own at his desk in 8th period AP English class. Why he had to get AP, he would never know. _Who the hell said I wanted an AP class? Gotta make sure I get them to fix that…_As he finished his last few thoughts, the teacher walked in, noticing the two new comers to his class.

"Well, hello. For the new ones, I am Mr. Collins. I'll be your new AP English teacher." He said, sitting at his desk. Just as he did so, a woman with dark brown hair entered. "Miss Fallon… you're late." Mr. Collins looked through some papers, only taking a second to peep up to the latecomer.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Collins. I had to help Stacy to the bathroom. Seems as if she caught the flu." She shook her head as she made her way to her desk in the front of the class. "Sad, really. Looks like she won't be able to take Mr. Lackman's AP Biology test after all. And she studied so hard for it."

"Well, that only helps you become valedictorian easier. So count it a blessing." Mr. Collins smiled to his student before standing up and handing out papers. Jeffry finally realized the woman had another class with him. "The two new students, while I'm passing out this quiz, please introduce yourself for everyone else."

Jeffry couldn't tell who this other new student was, so he stood up and went to the front of the class, looking over the other thirteen or so faces that were present at that time. He took a deep breath and started. "Hey… I'm Jeffry Austin, 11th grader. But, you all may not be seeing me for long. I wasn't in AP English before, so I doubt I'm supposed to be staying." He could hear a small laugh or too before he sat down.

"Well, you can still try. Who knows? You might like it." Mr. Collins handed him a paper as well, then proceeded in handing out the remaining three papers. The last receiver of a paper stood up and walked to the front of the class, holding the paper behind his back. Jeffry closed his eyes for this moment and leaned back, wishing the class would end so much faster.

"Well, I'm in the 11th, too. Came from Glenn Oak and I like sports…" Jeffry could hear the other new student speaking. _His voice sounds a little familiar…_Before he could open his eyes, the student finished. "Oh yea, my bad. My name is Darrel…"

Jeffry's eyes shot open, staring at this one in front of the class. _Darrel…_

_

* * *

_

_Darrel… Darrel…Where the hell is he?_ He continued his search around the school gym, looking at any guy who was wearing an outfit similar to his crush's. So far, there was nothing.

He shook his head and grabbed himself something to drink, leaning against a wall and sipping it. The night so far was okay. He didn't have his best friend to accompany him, nor had he seen Darrel. And what about this DJ? No one was really dancing; it was weak, with no energy in there. By looking around, he could tell the crowd wasn't to interested in the music, even if it did have a little bit of 'wanna-dance' in it.Not a horrible night, but not a very good one either. _Maybe I should just go ho--- Finally! _Jeffry saw another red shirt. And this time, the wearer had sunshades. He pushed himself off the wall and headed to that area, watching the crowd seem to form a dancing-barrier around them, as if they just went from totally uninterested, to totally hyped. Weird, he knew. He rolled his eyes and tried to get through, all attempts failing.

Jeffry took a few steps back and tried to see over the crowd, but just couldn't. _Great. I finally think I see him and he gets blocked. Damn cock blockers._ He stared hard into the group, trying to force something innate to help him out, knowing all attempts would end in vain. But, tonight, it seemed to be different. The crowd began to open up. Couple by couple, they seemed to move out of the way just for him. And in the middle was the red-shirted man. With the sunshades. Wearing the same outfit as Darrel. _Darrel! It's about time I found you!_ He smiled and began to walk closer – the worst move he could have ever made. Walking closer was the thing that made him drop his drink on the ground, the liquid splashing all on the floor and his shoes. It was the move that led to the destruction of three schools. _What… the hell?_

_

* * *

_

"Darrel Canda. Um, I think that's it…" The new student shrugged and returned to his seat.

_It's _a_ Darrel, but not _my_ Darrel. _He sighed. Having Darrel at the same school as him now would've only caused more trouble for everyone. He looked over the paper handed to him and decided it'd be helpful to at least try. He had no idea how long he was going to have to take AP English with a girl running for valedictorian, a teacher who seemed really cool, and a guy who had the name of a guy who was a part in the cause of everything that happened over the past few weeks.

The bell rang seemingly minutes later, but he knew it had been over a half hour. Everyone got up and left. Jeffry took his time. As bad as he wanted to leave, with the recent flashback of that dance, he had gotten a bit shaken up. The valedictorian was talking to Mr. Collins as he approached the door.

"Hold on, Desiree. Mr. Jeffry. May I have a word with you please?" Mr. Collins called over to him as he leaned back on his desk, Desiree in front of him holding a few books.

"Yes?" Jeffry walked over there, adjusting his notebook in his hand.

"I told Miss Fallon here that you hold… potential. Why don't you stay in my class a little while longer? You could become something you never expected." He smiled. Jeffry only thought he was weird. He stared at his teacher for a moment.

"No offense, but English is not my forte. And to top that, it's an AP class; way to much for me to handle, Mr. Collins."

"Oh, but Jeffry." Desiree took a step towards Jeffry. "Please do. You might regret not doing it." She smirked, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder.

Jeffry took a step back before she could do so, suddenly feeling… _something_ he couldn't explain about her. Something that she'd done. But within that same instant, it was gone. "That's okay. I'll see about staying, but I need to go now." He turned around and headed out the door, going to exit the school property.

* * *

"Dandino! What school did you get transferred to?" Jeffry approached his friend in their neighborhood, the two doing their greeting and sitting on the sidewalk.

"Whickerman. But I didn't feel like going today. Just so much stuff going on." He shook his head and leaned back.

"At least where at the same place. It'd kill me if we couldn't go to the same school."

"So, how was your first day? Any transferees act out?"

"Naah. I almost freak— Never mind." Jeffry stopped himself, looking down the ground. It was almost dark; they had a good half hour before the asphalt would be too dark to see.

"You almost what?" Dandino sounded curious, leaning in to see his friends face. Jeffry just turned his head in the opposite direction.

"It's… nothing."

"Dude, aren't we best friends?"

"…Yea. So?"

"Can't you tell me these types of things? What happened today?"

"… I might tell you later." Jeffry turned back to look to Dandino. "It's just a lot going through my head right now." There was a bit of silence afterwards, both seeming to think about everything.

"Dude… Speaking of telling me later…," Dandino started, "you never told me what happened at the dance that made you quiet that entire week afterwards."

_This guy always seems to know exactly what he's not supposed to ask…_Jeffry sighed. "I might tell you _that_ later, too." He shook his head, knowing his brain was about to crucify him…

* * *

_What… the hell?_

Was it really possible for this to happen, especially to him? His drink had been splashed all over the floor, but he didn't pay it any attention. His eyes were glued on Darrel… and whatever girl he was dancing with. He had never thought it was possible to be fully jealous over someone that had no real ties to you. But, he was obviously proved wrong.

He was pissed for some reason. More than he should have been. _That bitch…she's dancing with him! _He shook his head and closed his eyes, thinking it was just a mirage. But he opened his eyes, and they were still dancing… Dancing like they were the last man and woman on earth. _I won't cry… I won't cry…_He'd known Darrel since… elementary school. And he was his only true crush since then. Being so disappointed like that just hurt him too much. As he stormed his way to an opposite side of the gym, he kicked the cup he dropped on the ground.

* * *

"Well, just know that I'll always be here for you man. You're my best friend. If you ever need help with anything, like keeping secrets, helping you study, or even helping you meet new people… I'll be there." Dandino patted him on his back and stood up, looking to his watch. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jeffry. Don't think to much about it." With that, Dandino was heading home. Jeffry watched him as he walked away, standing up himself to head to his own home. He shoved his hands into his pockets, closing his eyes and walking slowly. He had to remember… he had to think about that night. Or else he'd never be able to fully understand what happened… _Come on Jeffry…

* * *

_

He found a spot on the wall and tried to cool down. _Come on, J. Relax… Breath… He's not even your man…_Sliding down the wall, he gripped his head, staring at whatever he could get his eyes on. There were a few tears – _Why the hell am I crying! _He saw his cup on the floor. It had stopped moving, but his gaze seemed to do something to it… From its still position, it tilted from one side to another softly as first, then hard… until it was spinning. _I can't believe him…and her! Why can't I ever find anyone DAMNIT! _The spinning cup launched into the air, hitting the ceiling – which was over twenty-four feet high – and almost exploded, shards of plastic raining down onto the crowd.

Jeffry saw it happened, and even followed bits of the cup as it fell, but was completely unparsed by it. In fact, he liked it… It made him feel better. Granted he was still furious, he felt an inch better. When one of his friends came to check up on him, he only gazed at him with his piercing eyes.

"Dude… you look like hell. What're you crying for? Everything all—" He never did get a chance to finish his sentence.

* * *

Lying down on his bed, he curled up and wiped a tear away from his face. He finally remembered most of what happened. He never wanted to, but things continued to happen that forced him to. And he couldn't live with those feelings everyday. He turned over on his back and placed both hands behind his head, looking up to the ceiling. _What the hell am I? I did the same thing in the bathroom this morning… Why can I do those things? _

Jeffry leaned up, looking around his dark room. There was a bit of moonlight and light from the street lamps sneaking through his curtains; this allowed him to see select silhouettes from objects in his room.

_I wonder…_He raised a finger and pointed to his lamp. _Nothing…_ Jeffry focused, concentrating on just that lamp._ Nothing…_A shake of his head and he laid back down. _Maybe it wasn't me who did it… Maybe I… I don't know. _Within minutes, his eyes were closed and he was sleep, dreams – or nightmares – of such things playing in his mind.

* * *

Now, a new thought was racing through his mind: how? Tuesday had finally come. And instead of feeling those thoughts of the dance and why it happened, he was instead wondering how. _How did I do that?_ He was sitting in his 2nd period class, Algebra 2, fiddling with a pencil while Ms. Honer wrote a problem on the board.

_2x + 34 7x - …Maybe I just have to think harder. _Eyes traveled from the problem to the chalk resting on the tray under the chalkboard. He decided he'd try to do exactly what the people on TV did. He squinted his eyes and focused, trying his best to clear his mind from the excess clutter. Out of the effort, he only got small results.

_All I did was move it an inch or two. Hardly anything to be hype about. _He huffed and went back to paying attention in class.

"Psst… Jeffry."

Jeffry looked over to his right to see a face he hadn't seen yesterday. "Jamal!? Dude, you weren't in here yesterday, were you?"

"Nah. I had to go and get checked up. I got injured from the accident." Jamal displayed a large scar on his left arm "Didn't really hurt, but… we had to make sure it didn't get infected."

"Wow. What's your third period?" Jeffry began to whisper, Ms. Honer walking past.

"Mr. Collins."

"Seriously? I have him 8th. You need to make sure you tell me all the stuff that goes on in your period so I'm ready for it in mine." Jeffry laughed.

"Well, get ready for a talk about mutants… Can't stand those damn things." Jamal huffed and leaned back in his seat, looking around the room for the teacher before continuing. "That's who the press thinks caused the entire dance-thing. I'd kill the one who hurt Kat."

_I… hurt Kat?_

_

* * *

_

"Dude… you look like hell. What're you crying for? Everything all—" Jeffry's eyes squinted, the form of said friend being hurled back into the crowd, breaking them up quickly. There were a few screams and people worried, but he'd take care of that. He stood up to his feet and shot a glare to all the balloons – they popped without a second passing. Then there were those flashing lights. Those damn lights that were flashing and moving around throwing circles on various areas of the gym and causing such a nice and sickening effect to him. With a mental command, they all burst. Another command was given to the DJ's equipment. Speakers blew, records and cds were sent flying across the room. This was the move that made everyone run to the door. The move that was only the beginning.

* * *

Jeffry sat there in shock. Not only at what his friend was saying, but what he supposedly did to another friend of his! "What happened? I hadn't heard about her getting hurt…"

"She's in the hospital right now. A record came flying past her after the lights and stuff popped and sliced her throat. Luckily, we got her there in time." Jamal shook his head. "If I find the freak who did that, I'm going to do the same thing _it_ did to her to _it!_"

_Oh, so I'm an _It _now..._ Jeffry rolled his eyes, squeezing the pen in his hand. Yes, he was upset for severely injuring Katherine. None of his friends deserved such an attack, accidental or not. _My anger should've been in check._ But, he didn't deserve to be called an _it_ either! Squeezing even harder, he shot a look over towards Jamal. Without another second passing, his pen shot out of his hand, jabbing itself into the wall in the front of the class.

"What the—" Jamal began to murmur.

"Mr. Barnes! There will be no throwing of objects in this classroom!" She shouted towards him. "You better be lucky this is only your second day her young man or I would surely make it your LAST!"

Jeffry's eyes were wider than before. The pen shot across the room! He knew he did it. After coming to realize that he shot a shitload of lockers out of his school into the sky, he knew he could manage to make a pen fly and jab itself into a... brick wall. He gulped, and leaned back in his seat, letting his pen fall onto the desk. There was one word that kept playing over and over in his head. The one word he knew that would help him understand how exactly he destroyed three schools. …_Anger?_

_

* * *

_

"Mutants. Anyone want to give me their view on them? Are they a threat, or simply evolution to an already powerful species?" Mr. Collins walked in front of the class and wrote the topic on the board. "Today is merely a class discussion on such a current topic in our world… with an added essay to grade."

The class was silent, thinking about such a topic. Jeffry looked down to his desk, refusing to answer such a question. But someone had to start the discussion.

"Mr. Collins… not all mutants are bad. Some of them… help. Like the ones in New York."

Jeffry looked over to who spoke, examining him a bit. "Phillip Petterson, you are so right," Mr. Collins said. "However, most of the world doesn't view them as such. To us normals – I trust we all are before I continue – well, they are different. And as history has taught us… we are afraid of change." Mr. Collins shook his head. "Jeffry Austin…" he looked towards the student. "What is your say on this topic?"

_Wow, smart idea. Ask the mutant. _"I… have to go to the bathroom."

"Well, by the time you get back," Mr. Collins began to write a pass for him, "be prepared to write up the essay. As for the rest of you, you should begin now." He walked over and handed the pass to Jeffry before stepping back in front of his class. "I need at least five pages for all you AP students. This should be easy."

Jeffry stepped outside the room and wiped the sweat from his face. _I can't let anyone know… not even Danny. How would he take it? _He shook his head as he made his way down the foreign hallways, trying to find his destination. _This is worse than thinking about coming out._ He found the bathroom and stepped inside, wiping the last few drops of sweat from his face before he begun the unbuckling process.

"Jeffry!?"

"DANDINO!" Well, that had to stop. Jeffry buckled himself back up and went to hug his friend. "Dude, what a coincidence."

"I know. Told you we were meant to be friends. So, classes goin' alright?"

"Yea…" He stepped to one of the urinals and began to piss. He could hear Dandino washing his hands in the sink.

"Why'd you say it like that?" Dandino turned the water off and leaned against one of the stalls near Jeffry.

"Because… just some of the discussions and stuff we have to do. That's all. What about you?"

"Same, same. I need to get back to class, though. I'll see you after school."

"Aiight man." Jeffry finished, then made his way back to his classroom..

Jeffry returned and sat down, sighing. As he entered, he saw Mr. Collins on his cell phone, 'Uh-huh'-ing and 'Yea'-ing to whoever was on the other line. By the time he began to head his paper for the essay, Mr. Collins was done with his conversation, sitting down at his desk, sorting through papers.

"Attention teachers and students. Please excuse this interruption." A voice boomed over the intercom. "Teachers, please send all new transfer students to the gymnasium at this time for a brief meeting on school policies."

"You two are so lucky." Mr. Collins sighed and rolled his eyes. "Desiree, could you please escort Jeffry and Darrel to the gym, please?"

"Yes, Mr. Collins." She stood up and grabbed her purse, walking to the door to wait for the two male students.

Jeffry stood up and grabbed his things, heading out of the door with Darrel closely behind.

"Do you two like this school so far?" Desiree questioned the two boys as they made their way to the gym, a few more students joining them in the hallway as they traversed.

"It's alright." Both males said.

"Heh. You'll love it. There's a lot of clubs here, too. I'm sure you two will find the perfect clique." As she approached the gym, she slowed down. "Okay, it's right over there. Just walk in with the rest of the transferees. I'll be waiting in the first few seats in case you need an escort back."

"Thanks, Desiree." Jeffry and Darrel both nodded, filing into the gymnasium. It was beginning to get full – and it looked like it could hold hundreds. Jeffry took a seat towards the top; he didn't pay attention where Darrel sat.

Within a few moments, everyone had begun to settle in. A young-ish looking man, seemingly in his mid- to late- thirties, went to the podium in the center of the gym, cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"Welcome transfer students to Whickerman High. I am Mr. Lawrence, the principal at this fine institution of learning. We know the past few weeks have been stressful, and we know it has been trailing on most of you. We at Whickerman are here for you whenever you need to come to us. Just to let everyone know, we have students from Glenn Oak High, Oxon Hill High, and even Gwynn Park Middle. Now I will let Mr. Newhouse, our assistant principal, come forth with more." He sat down and the assembly carried on without much else.

Jeffry leaned back on the bleachers, looking around at the other students that filled the gym with him. Some were familiar, some rang a bell, while others were totally new to him.

"Yes, miss?" The female guidance counselor pointed out to a young woman in the audience with her hand raised.

"Yes, I have a question." She stepped down from the bleachers, stepping to take a mic so the entire audience could hear.

"Okay, what is it?"

"… What should we do about the fires?"

Everyone began whispering to themselves, wondering what the hell she was talking about.

"What fires?" The guidance counselor began looking around, giving a curious gaze to the principal.

"These." There was a smile that the woman gave off, that from Jeffry's distance, he could still somehow make out. With her cue, the podium caught on fire. There was a loud scream and people began to run. To obviously hide her appearance from those who would try to suddenly remember what she looked like, a pair of sunglasses and hat was pulled onto her head, the woman walking in the opposite direction of everyone else.

_What the hell?_ Jeffry stood up in his seat, people pushing past him, rushing to get out of the gym.

"Mutant's will RISE! The event that gathered us here was only the beginning." The woman cackled, voice booming over the intercom in the gym. "Just make sure you remember who sent you this warning: Pyrotic!" An empty section of the bleachers caught on fire, making any of the remaining students panic even more.

_Oh shit… Oh shit… Oh shit! _Jeffry rushed down the bleachers as fast as he could, trying to think of something. _Escape or stop her? What the hell do I do! _Once he reached the floor, he began looking to the exit then back to Pyrotic.

The gymnasium began to dwindle down and Pyrotic was still on the podium, laughing and causing small fires to appear out of nowhere. "And what are you going to do, little boy?"

"Make sure the same thing doesn't happen again…" _Katherine. _Jeffry looked to the gym doors, looking at them still locked in their open position. _Close… close… close. _One by one, each of the doors closed, then he looked to Pyrotic. "Making sure mutants don't keep getting a bad name for the mistakes of others."

* * *

Right hand outstretched to all exits one by one. Why not help them escape faster? As his right hand was pointed to each exit, a flick of the wrist occurred before moving to the next target. One by one, the door and some of the wall surrounding it lifted up and was shot through the air, the constant crashing causing some of the ground to shake around them.

_Still… pissed._ The normal Jeffry didn't appear to be residing in that body anymore. It was possessed by a psychotic lunatic. Everyone was running, paying him no mind that he was just standing there. The wall behind him lifted up and was tossed over his head, crashing and causing some of the refreshments to fly through the air, hitting a few of the students remaining. He turned around and stared at the lockers. They were such pesky things. So small, couldn't hold much. Then the locks on them were so cheap it was ridiculous. As that final thought passed through his head, said locks would begin rattling before becoming ripped off the locker itself, zooming past him. He heard a few screams and shouts, but he wasn't done. He was still pissed.

Both hands were raised as both palms were pointed towards the lockers. There was a bit of rattling and shaking to the earth, but that all ended when twenty two lockers uprooted from their spots and went soaring through the ceiling, high into the sky… The rage building up inside of him was finally depleted. He fell to his knees, observing the destruction he could barely remember he caused… and cried.

* * *

"I'm making sure that you don't do what I did. No one else needs to be hurt…" Jeffry braced himself, looking to Pyrotic.

"Aww, the poor 'kinetic thinks he can do something about me. Well, two can play that game." Pyrotic snapped her fingers, a grin forming on her face. Within that very instant, the perimeter on the inside of the gym caught on fire, essentially blocking Jeffry inside.

"I may not know entirely what I'm doing, but I do know what I'm doing it for." Jeffry took a quick scan of the interior, noting a few things sprawled across the floor.

"Oh my god. You sound like one of those sappy heroes in the movies who likes to give a monologue of how much shit they've been through and that there's nothing the bad guy can do to stop them and a bunch of other bullshit. Well, guess what?" She said in a mocking tone, taking steps towards him, causing him to almost trip as he stepped back to keep his distance. "I can do much to make sure you burn. End of monologue."

"You can try!" Jeffry looked to one of the walls. His secret weapon was there, hidden behind a somewhat thin sheet of glass. 'Break and pull in case of fire,' it read. With enough anger, he could skip one step and go straight to the other. Focusing as hard as he could, he watched as the switch on the inside of the fire alarm was pulled downward. The fire sprinklers on the inside of the gym activated, water filling the equipment before spraying it all over, dousing the fires.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" She pulled off the sunshades, tossing them to the ground. Once those were off, she was able to see a fire hose float over to Jeffry, aiming the nozzle at her.

"Thanks… I try my best." He smiled, pulling the lever and spraying the substance in the direction of Pyrotic.

"AAAH!" She screamed and shook as much of the stuff off as possible. But that was only the beginning. With some control and aim, pencils, papers, notebooks, and various other school supplies were being hurled toward Pyrotic. Jeffry just stood as the events unfolded, making sure to aim in places he could ensure would cause some pain. "You little bitch! Argh!" Shaking a few things off, Pyrotic headed towards an exit and ran out. Jeffry, all wet, smiled and looked up the ceiling, turning the sprinkles off with his mind.

"…Whoa."

* * *

"'There has been another incident, totaling two weird events within a month.'" Jeffry switched off the TV in his room, sighing and laying down on this bed.

"Yup. It's on the news. Somehow, the girl got away though. No one knows where she went." Jeffry could hear Dandino on the other line speaking to him.

"Damn. Oh well. She'll be found one day." _I'll make sure of it._

"Jeffry, somehow we still have homework. So I'm going to get to that, and I'll see you on the bus tomorrow."

"Night man." Jeffry hung up the phone and laid it down on his bed. The hook was all the way on the other side of the room, along with that pesky lamp. He rolled his eyes, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. _I really don't feel like getting up. I'm pooped._ Using his mind that much tired him. As one of his toes grazed the floor, he stopped himself, and thought about it. An eyebrow rose as he looked to the phone.

"I'm not _that_ pooped." He grinned, watching the telephone float into the air and hang itself up. And with a look to his lamp, it was off. "Aah. Sure is nice." He laid down on his bed and looked out his window, staring at the moon. _I can't believe it…_

_

* * *

_

"Who the hell starts a food fight!?" Jeffry and Dandino ran to one of the more empty tables, hiding as best as they could. It was the very next day at school, and obviously, someone had started a war in the cafeteria. Jeffry did 'his thing' to make sure the two stayed as clean as possible.

Jeffry's eyes turned to watch a boy – _Isn't that the guy from my last period? – _still sitting at a table, seeming to not care about the food. But upon closer observation, he saw him with his head under his hands. But this sight alone was not what caused him to widen his eyes – and accidentally ensure Dandino got squashed in the face with something messy. He had to make sure no one else saw the sight that occurred within this food fight.

_Why did the food stop right before it hit him?!_


	2. Ep 2: How To Tell If You're A Mutant

**Quick Note: All these characters are MINE ( except for Desiree, but she's used with permission from here owner. Luv ya Lane!). Do no steal and such.**

This story takes place in the Marvel Universe, however, you won't encounter ANY of them until about the second "season" of this, if it ever gets that far. I'll be making a character website for these characters soon. Until then... ENJOY! If you catch any spelling or grammatical errors that I may have missed, please feel free to send an email.

if the text after the line is centered, it is a Flash Back

if the text after the line is positioned to the left, then it is in the current time.

* * *

**PhobiX – Episode 2 – How To Tell If You're A Mutant**

"Mr. Collins… not all mutants are bad. Some of them help, like the ones in New York." A tall, muscular boy said to Mr. Collins, returning his raised hand to his desk.

"Phillip Peterson, you are so right," Mr. Collins started. It was a Tuesday, and nothing seemed to be going on. Unlike a lot of others, he was unaffected by the transferring of schools. His original High School was Whickerman, so all he got out of the accident was a new friend or two…

And a new secret. That day of the New Year's Dance was something that he'd never forget, whether he wanted to or not. Although Whickerman was one of four schools left untouched by the destruction, that did not mean it's inhabitants were unaffected. Phillip was living proof.

"However, most of the world does not view them as such. To us normals – I trust we all are before I continue – well, _they_ are different. And if history has taught us anything, we know that we are afraid of change." Mr. Collins shook his head. "Jeffry Austin. What is your say on this topic?"

Phillip looked over to the new student, noticing him from the previous day. _Wonder if anyone else had what happened to me… I can't believe it._

"I… have to go to the bathroom." The new student blurted out.

"Well, by the time you get back," Mr. Collins began to write a pass for him, "be prepared to write up the essay. As for the rest of you, you should be thinking on the assignment, and then beginning immediately." He walked over and handed the pass to Jeffry before stepping back in front of his class. "I need at least five pages for all you AP students. This should be easy."

There were a few groans and moans from the students, but Phillip was too busy thinking about that night. _I should've just taken her home…_

* * *

"Paul, when the hell are you gettin' off the phone?" Phillip sighed, sitting back on the couch, looking to the television screen. As he passed by the news, he saw that the time was around 7:20pm. He had more than a half hour to get to his school for the dance.

"Hol'up." Paul continued his conversation. "Yea. … What!? You let your cuz' use the truck? What the hell, man! That was our ride!"

Phillip rolled his eyes. _He sure as hell ain't usin' mine. I got places to go. _He flipped back onto the news. Only a few minutes had passed. He stood up off the couch and scratched his head.

"Hol' on, Isaac. Phillip!" Paul called out.

"What?" _Damnit. Why'd I answer?_

"I _know_ you wanna lemme use your car tonight. Isaac's idiotic self let his cousin use the car."

"Nope. I got somewhere to go, remember?

"You gonna be at that place the entire time! What you need it sittin' out in the parking lot for?"

"You never know if I'm gonna go somewhere with Larhonda." Phill gave his brother 'the look,' signaling that he had plans for the night. Without another word, he headed upstairs to his room to get ready for the night of his life.

* * *

_Larhonda. _His girlfriend. He shook his head, looking over to Mr. Collins as his cell phone rang. 

"Excuse me, class. I have to take this." Mr. Collins stepped out of the room, closing the door somewhat. Within a few minutes, the new boy walked in, Mr. Collins following behind him a few moments later. Mr. Collins sat at his desk and began looking through some papers, sighing once or twice.

"Attention teachers and students. Please excuse this interruption." A voice boomed over the intercom. "Teachers, please send all new transfer students to the gymnasium at this time for a brief meeting on school policies."

"You two are so lucky." Mr. Collins sighed and rolled his eyes. "Desiree, could you please escort Jeffry and Darrel to the gym, please?"

"Yes, Mr. Collins." She stood up and grabbed her purse, walking to the door to wait for the two male students.

Phillip looked over to them and leaned back in his seat, watching as they headed out of the room. Mr. Collins shuffling in his seat made him look back in that direction before looking back down at his paper.

It was about twenty-five minutes later when there was a weird rumbling sound that filled their classroom. Everyone stopped what they were doing and began whispering to each other, another soft rumble filling the halls.

"Uum… class. I think, in light of recent events, we should really try to ge—" Mr. Collins warning was cut short by the fire alarm. Everyone dashed out of the room, Phillip coming out last. Once everyone got outside, Phillip saw where the rumbles were coming from: the gym.

"What's going on?" Phillip approached his best friend, Joshua Baker.

"I don't know. All I heard was that this chick started these fires and put up some fiery barrier so no one can go in."

_Another… mutant? I thought I was the only one around here. _"Josh, I'm going to be right back. Gotta see if Larhonda is okay." He walked away from his friend, searching the crowd. _I have to find her…

* * *

_

"Larhonda!" He yelled through the crowd of high fashioned people dancing the night away. _Where is that sexy girl at, anyway?_ Stopping in the middle of the gymnasium, his eyes caught site to someone leaving the building through an exit leading to the side of the building. It wasn't Larhonda, though. _Conner. _He shook his head at the man and continued looking.

"You rang?" He heard a giggle behind him and turned around, seeing that beautiful girl of his. She was wearing an all white sparkly dress, something that looked like a toned-down wedding dress. Two dangling earrings adorned her ears with a few small, thin, sparkly white bracelets fashioning her right arm.

"Where did you go?" Phillip walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "You had me worried."

"I had to go to the bathroom." Another soft giggle and she moved in to place a peck on his lips. "Did I scare you," she said in a slightly mocking voice.

"Yup. You know I can't stand not bein' around you." He smiled, rocking here and there to the music. Suddenly, their dancing was interrupted.

"What was that?" Larhonda looked him in the eyes.

"My cell phone." He sighed, digging into his slacks' pocket. He looked at the caller I.D. on the outside of the closed phone, reading the name off in his head. "What the hell does he want?"

"Who?"

"It's my brother."

* * *

"LARHONDA!" Hands cupped his mouth to amplify his voice. 

"You rang?"

Phillip spun around and upon seeing the woman, hugging her tightly. "How long have you heard me? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Chill out." Larhonda rolled her eyes with a smile, managing to wiggle out of the bear hug. "Just heard you, and I came over. Something wrong?"

"No. I was just… worried. I heard something was going on inside the gym."

"Yea. I heard some of the girls talk about a mutant."

"That's what Joshua told me. Wond—" Both of them looked towards the school, hearing a voice over the intercom. The two easily recognized the voice: Mr. Lawrence.

"Students, teachers, and staff! Please return to your classrooms! This is an ORDER!"

"I'm not going back in there. Do you want a ride home?" Phillip turned back to look to his girlfriend.

"Can I go back to your place? I forgot my key…"

"Of course." He kissed her, wrapped an arm around her back and began walking her to his car. _This is worth skipping football practice for…

* * *

_

Jeffry walked down the aisle on the morning bus, sitting next to the guy he'd known for more than five months. "'Sup, Dandino?"

"Nothin' much. What'd you do after we hung up?"

"I went to sleep. Yesterday was a really busy day, and I was really tired." Jeffry rubbed his eyes, leaning back in his seat some. His head titled in the direction of his friend, switching his gaze from him to the window occasionally.

"I feel ya. Hey, by the way, what lunch do you have?"

Jeffry raised an eyebrow and began looking through his notebook, looking for the schedule he was given. Out of the eight 45-minute classes, there was one reserved for lunch. And out of a possible four lunches, each student got one. And the one Jeffry was assigned…

"I have third period lunch. Why?"

"Seriously? Cool. I'm going to find you then. This school hasn't seen the true faces of Dandino and Jeffry just yet!"

"…You mean Jeffry and Dandino." Jeffry smiled and shook his head.

"Nope. Dandino and Jeffry. Has a nice… flow to it."

"Jeffry and Dan---" Camera fades.

* * *

Phillip sat down at his lunchroom table, soda bottle on the table with his bag of chips next to it. He couldn't concentrate. _I hope she's okay…I walked her to class and even waited until the teacher started teaching. She's okay… I know it. _There was a deep inhale of air. No guy was supposed to be that overprotective over a girl. _Well, unless you've been through what I have. _He shook his head. 

As his hand extended to grab his chips, it diverted to an open space on the table. The thought of doing _it_ again was driving him to try. He'd tried to do it ever since then, hoping to, when the time came, protect his girlfriend again. And fight back against such things. But nothing worked. He'd thought of protection, he'd thought of love. In any normal TV-situation, those feelings would've been the ones that activated that miracle again. _What the hell did I do that caused it…_He forced himself to remember. It was the only way he was going to be able to protect her again…

* * *

"What do you want?" Phillip moved over to a wall, looking over to Larhonda for the last time before he put his focus onto the conversation.

"Dude… We need a spare tire. Can you get us one?"

"What the hell?! What happened?"

"I don't know. Tyrone said he could pick up me and Isaac and he'd drop off his lil' bro at Gwynn Park so he could go to his dance. And on the way there, we got a flat.… I have no idea how we got it."

"You all just potentially ruined a good night. And I mean a _good_ night."

"Don't act like you haven't ruined potentially good mornings for me, too, bro."

"Whatever. You all still at Gwynn Park?"

"Yea, a lil' bit up the road. You comin?"

"I just have to get the spare from home and I'll be over there." Without another word, he hung up the phone and went back to Larhonda.

"So, what'd he call for?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself in close.

"His ride suddenly got a flat tire. I have to go."

"Aww. Can I come with?"

"It'll be boring… If you can wait for me here, I promise to be back soon. Once I get the tire from my house, I'll be back here."

"Your house?" She raised an eye brow, evil grin appearing on her face. Phillip could tell she had thoughts running through her mind. "Who said you have to come back immediately… if I go with you?"

"Go with me? Why would you—Oh." Phillip returned the grin, grabbing her by an arm and helping her outside to his car. _And it can STILL be a good night.

* * *

_

_Lust? _Phillip thought the idea was weird, but tried it anyway. He thought of doing the same thing he did in the car. He thought of saving her. Then switched his feelings to lust, hoping it would activate that miracle again. _Nothing._ He sighed, grabbing his bag of chips.

When he went to get a chip from the bag a few seconds later, he noticed it wasn't there. Eyes went to look up to see that he had unconsciously thrown the bag out of anger. _Oh shit._ At Whickerman, food fights weren't uncommon. In the first two weeks of the school year, a total of six had happened. The janitors were pissed; so was everyone who got hit.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

_Oh shit. Oh shit! _Everyone heard the scream. Phillip was probably the first to cover his head, trying to avoid all the mess he could. _I would've bought an umbrella if I had known this was going to happen._

He peeked up in time to see a taco salad being plunged in his direction, along with seeing food fly everywhere. His eyes closed back again to await the stain he was going to have to wash out of his clothes.

* * *

"Who the hell starts a food fight!?" Jeffry and Dandino ran to one of the more empty tables, hiding behind books and jackets they were carrying with them. They managed to avoid some lettuce as they ducked. Making sure he wasn't to be caught, Jeffry mentally flinged some of the ammunition away from them, keeping them somewhat safe. 

Jeffry's eyes turned to watch a boy – _Isn't that the guy from my last period? – _still sitting at a table, seeming to not care about the food. But upon closer observation, he saw him with his head under his hands. But this sight alone was not what caused him to widen his eyes, and make sure Dandino got squashed in the face with something messy.

_Why did the food stop right before it hit him?!

* * *

_

Phillip had been asking himself that very same question ever since he dashed from the lunchroom. He went straight into an empty classroom, closing and locking the door so he could have his privacy. Both hands gripped his head and he began to pace.

"There is no way I'm a mutant…Besides, it was a different feeling." He shook his head. The feeling he felt this time around was different, yet still the same. It was weird. All Phillip could do now would be to clench his head and lean against a wall, forcing more images of that night back into view.

* * *

"So, where exactly are they?" Larhonda said, fixing her dress to get comfortable as they drove.

"At Gwynn Park." There was a red light. He slowed down and turned his head to her. "And my house isn't to far from it. So if we can pick up the tire and be back at the house before you have to be home… We'll have the place to ourselves at least until midnight." Phillip grinned, trying his best to clue his girlfriend in on 'possible' plans.

Green. Phillip put his foot on the pedal and began driving down the road. It was basically empty now. He peeked over at Larhonda who he heard yawn, smiling a bit. He rolled his eyes and looked back to the road. There was another stoplight. Foot went onto the brake slowly, causing them to stop at their designated place.

As he waited, he looked back over to his girlfriend, just to look at her. _So beautiful. How the hell is she that damn beautiful? _His head filled with thoughts and dreams of later on, feelings arising that needed to stay put for the time being.

Suddenly there was a boom. A large boom that filled the air. Larhonda woke up instantly, looking all around.

"What was that?" Phillip looked around, trying to find the source of such noise. There another one, and a few more accompanied it. In the distance, they saw something.

"Holy shit! Did something just blow up?" Larhonda pointed to something that looked like it was on fire, a plume of smoke drifting into the air.

There was a rumble this time. It was different from the boom. With a look forward, one would think it was what just appeared before them. But, in a few seconds, they found out it wasn't. They would soon find out it was much, much worse.

* * *

A rumble. A rumble that sounded all too familiar to high school students: the changing of classes. Following such were a few loud booms: the sound of the door being knocked on. _Oh shit._ Phillip stumbled to his feet, running to the door. It was a teacher he didn't know, and he had no idea how to explain his hiding-situation to him. Phillip pushed on the door once he heard the man had unlocked it, locking it back with the inside lock. 

"What the hell?" He could hear the frustration in the teacher's voice, still trying to think of a way out. _Where is the brick wall when you need it? _Phillip pushed the door with one hand, stepping back and gripping his head, thinking of how he could get out of there before security was called. _That… that feeling. It's back!_

Finally, he was able to pinpoint, somewhat, what the feeling was. It was there long enough now, and he had time to focus on it. Hand outstretched before him, sensing something was there occupying the space. The sense was weird; he could feel that something was there, but he knew it wasn't. And with his mind, he could somehow make out the shape of a wall, without ever really picturing or seeing it. His hand went out far enough for him to justify said feelings. Hand brushed past a rough wall… a wall that wasn't there.

"Why the hell won't this door open?"

Phillip looked to the door, stepping back. There was nothing there, but he could tell that there really was. Apparently, it was holding the door in place. _…Like a brick wall?_ There was no way… He heard the teacher bang onto the door, before everything went quiet.

"Oh shit." Phillip gasped and rushed to the door, forgetting all about the wall that was supposed to be there. He grabbed the handle, pulled it open, and rushed out; without looking back, he could tell the man had went to get someone to open his door. Meshing with the other students that filled the hallways, he made his way to his next class. It was the only place he could hide out and research his feelings. Lucky him, he was a student assistant during this period. This left him a full forty-five minutes to try and figure out what just happened. "Hello, Mr. Rico. Mind if I do some research… for… a project?" A nod from his teacher assured him of work-freedom. He chose a seat secluded from most others, turned the monitor so only he could view, logged into the school system, and went to his number one search engine. Into the search field, he typed in the first thing that came to mind: "how to tell if you're a mutant."

* * *

_I know what I saw._ Jeffry said, picking a pickle from his shirt, tossing it into the trash as he walked to his locker, checking the contents for a spare shirt that he knew didn't exist. Slightly frustrated at that, he turned around, leaning against the lockers with his own wide open. _There's more than just a few mutants in this area… He acted like he didn't even know he was doing it…_ He knew he could relate. 

Turning back around, he searched through the papers and his notebook for his schedule; he pulled it out and read it over. If the times were correct, it was about to be fourth period. And he knew he had that guy in the very last period of the day. _That leaves me… a long time to decide how to approach him. _He rolled his eyes, tidying things back up before locking his locker and proceeding to his next class. _It should be fun to have another mutant around though…

* * *

_

"When you're done with your assignments," Mr. Rico instructed the class, "please hand them in to Phillip to grade."

_Not now! I'm busy!_ He quickly read a few more words from the monitor before minimizing his sites; he had to make sure no one would 'accidentally' look at his stuff. One by one, tons of the actual high school students and the occasional transferee handed him papers. Then came the last few transfer students who still had to be caught up.

Eyes quickly scanned over the work, mind elsewhere thinking of the words he read during his search. _They said it normally happens after puberty… No, that's not right. It's not F6 that refreshes… But I hit puberty way back in elementary school… It's F5 dumbasses. _Red X's went across papers, with the right answer scribbled next to each one. _Control F brings up the search… I wonder why it came so late? Finally, a right answer. Maybe it was that gay-ass situation that— why can't they get that right? I'm a mutant—Not F7 either. Better than being gay, I guess. Mutant. _He shook his head, managing to get through all of the papers.

"Do you want me to pass them out, too?"

"Done already? Wow. Make sure you put the grades in."

"Alright." Mind still elsewhere, for the next five minutes, Phillip entered each individual grade into the school's system, saving and standing back up from the desk, restacking the papers and getting them straight. The majority of the students he knew – as in, the ones who've been there since the beginning of the school year. Every now and again, one of the transferees caused him a bit of trouble with the name to face connection. But, alas, there was that last paper; he handed it to the final transferee and went back to his desk, bringing his sites up to finish reading.

Not too long after that, however, he heard some sort of gasp. He knew the gasp was because of him. He knew it meant trouble. Like that rumble… that night…

* * *

"Holy shit! Did something just blow up?" Larhonda pointed to something that looked like it was on fire, a plume of smoke drifting into the air.

There was a rumble. Phillip looked everywhere for the source of it, but none could be found. They were silent for a moment. "Strap in." He instructed his girlfriend, who followed without any confrontation. Phillip put his foot on the gas and was off.

From behind, they could suddenly hear a loud crash; a look into any mirror would show that the intersection had just apparently been struck by a huge meteor. There was another loud crash behind them, followed by another… followed by one more in front. The car skidded, they screamed. They saw a truck in front of them speeding towards them, only to catch a glimpse of that soaring through the air and crashing onto them. Before Phillip passed out, he could hear the faint screams of his girlfriend, along with the crunching of metal. There was a smell of burning rubber and such filling the air, a sharp pain in his right hand – upon looking, he saw a piece of shrapnel lodged into it – and then everything went black.

* * *

Quickly turning around, he saw that last student. His eyes were in his direction. _This computer is not that far away… Did he see what I was looking at?_ Obviously, he did. _Oh shit! _In a panic, he X'd out every site and turned off the monitor, trying his best to look calm and cool as he saw the student walk closer. His name, as he learned through the rigorous trial and error of passing out papers, was Kenneth Coleman, one of the 8th graders. _Why the hell is he walking towards me…?_

"Wh…wh….what…"

"Yes… Kenneth?" He gulped. He was scared shitless. _What if he saw? What if he knows!?_

"Why did you write… _that_ as one of the answers?" Kenneth asked him, pointing to the paper. Phillip exhaled heavily, relieved it was just a mistake.

"Oh crap. My bad…" He took the paper back and scribbled the answer out, writing what was supposed to be there. "Had… research on my mind. I'll make sure next time not to write down what I'm thinking. Heh. Just be glad you aren't one." _Just be glad you're not one a freak like me… _

Kenneth looked froze for a bit, but managed to spit out a few words, "Y-yea… Sure," before returning to his seat just as fast as he came. Phillip turned back around and sighed, leaning back. The quick flash of memory from the accident worried him still, however. He knew he would have to go check up on her after the period was over. He had to make sure she was all right.

* * *

His eyes shot open. His brain was suddenly kicked into overdrive, processing the various bits of information his mind was gathering. From what his position, he could see the night sky, with a few plumes of smoke in the air. _LARHONDA! _He was up now. On to his feet, flashes of the crash began to play in his head as he made his way back towards the car. Upon reaching the car, he took a moment to stop. _Wait… I was in the car when the accident happened. _Right hand went up to scratch his head in wonder. Total fear filled his system when he remembered the sharp pain in that very same hand, pain that no longer existed, nor did a scar.

Phillip looked over the hand up and down and every-which-way. No shrapnel, no pain, not even blood. "How come I don't have… what's that?" He sniffed the air. _Gas?_ He looked the car up and down, trying to find the source. There was a trail of gas leading from the car to the truck, which seemed to have been tossed a couple feet away. _How did it get all the way over there? _He made his way over there, looking inside for a driver. _…No one? How can it be that no one was dri—Why did it get stronger?_ He sniffed the air again. More gas. Suddenly without notice, the truck caught on fire, forcing Phillip back to the car, out of the heats radius.

"What the hell is up with this scenario!?" Then, it hit him. He looked back to the ground, to the trail of gas. Then to the fire. "Oh shit…Larhonda! Get up!" He made his way inside of the vehicle, trying to squeeze her – somehow, unharmed – body out of the car. Nothing. A peek behind him told him that the trail of gas was officially ignited. Grabbing onto his girlfriend anyway he could, he closed his eyes and tried to pull her out one last time. _Just protect her…Shield her!_ Then the boom.

* * *

It was time for 8th Period. Phillip made his way down the hallway, ready for this day to be over. It had been filled with food fights, and weird new abilities that had just resurfaced from over two weeks ago. Luckily, this was it for him today. If he could just make it though this class without a problem, he'd only have Thursday and Friday left to endure. Making his final turn before the straight path, he readjusted the notebook in his hand, picking up the pace – the late bell was due to ring any second now. Outside of Mr. Collins door, he could see one of his classmates, one of the new ones. _What's his name, again? Jamal or something… _Suddenly, there was a tug on the bottom of his notebook, causing it to fall and splatter papers everywhere. The late bell rang. 

"Great. Just great. Now I'm late for class." Phillip sighed, bending down to pick up the papers.

"I'll help." The classmate of his walked over to help him.

"Thanks. I got it, though." He finished with the papers and stuffed them into his notebook, standing back to his feet in sync with the other.

"Hey, do you think I could talk to you about something?"

"Can this wait until after class? I have to keep up my grade if want to stay on the football team…"

_Jeffry! That's his name!_ Phillip saw Jeffry look around them as the hallway cleared, taking this time to clear his own throat.

"Not really…" There was a cough to clear the congestion and Jeffry placed both hands into his pockets, staring half-way at the ground and half-way at Phillip. "…I … know."

"Then why ask if we can talk? Already barely passing Collins." Phillip rolled his eyes and began to walk towards the room.

"No. I mean… I _know._ About _it."_

That made Phillip stop. He turned around and took a few steps back towards him.

"What do you mean 'you know?' What do you 'know' about?" There was an awkward silence. And for that moment, Phillip actually thought the boy was a mutant like himself. But with too much time passing, he decided to let that hope fade. "…Whatever." Phillip turned back around and reached for the doorknob which was finally in reach. However, he never grabbed it. His eyes were glued to Jeffry; he was in awe. From the moment he began to reach for the doorknob, he knew he heard something. He didn't have to completely look at his surroundings to hear that every lock in the hallway was being lifted and dropped constantly, and that a random window or two opening and closing wasn't just coincidence.

"I know… that you're a mutant, too."

* * *

_Well, kinda cheesy. But it got the job done, didn't it?_ Jeffry and Phillip were nowhere near Mr. Collins anymore. They were in the front of the building, sitting on a wooden table used to eat lunch outside. 

"How'd you know?" Phillip looked to the ground, trying to fully come to terms with what he was.

"I saw you at lunch… The food just stopped right in front of you." Jeffry looked around, breathing softly. His breath could still be seen in the wintry-air, but it wasn't truly that cold. It was so that they didn't need a jacket, unless the wind was bothering them.

"But, how'd you know I did it?"

"Just a hunch. Besides, everyone else was preoccupied with the flying food." Jeffry gave a weak laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm still not sure about it. But I know I did it…"

"How many times has it happened?"

There was a silence, Phillip counting the number of times since the accident. "Only about three or four times. Ever since two weeks ago… the day of that big accident."

Jeffry's body temperature rose slightly, causing him to sweat a little bit. At the same time, a chill ran through his body as well, making him feel extremely weird. "The… accident? You mean… the day the schools decided to hold the dances?"

"Yea." Phillip looked towards him. "I was driving to get a flat tire with me and my girlfriend and… something crashed into the road, causing us to hit this truck."

_Oh crap._ Jeffry was stunned. _I did all of that?_

"After we crashed, I guess I blacked out. But when I woke up, I was out of the car without a scratch on me. And…" He gripped his head; to Jeffry, it looked like the memory was painful.

"Your girlfriend… Was she alright?" Jeffry gulped.

"Yea. Not a scratch on her either. But the truck caught on fire… and this trail of gas… It all caught on fire. I wrapped my arms around her to protect her… Then…. I don't exactly know what happened."

"Well, first off, what can you do? I didn't exactly see anything at lunch but the food hit this… nothing-ness."

"I'm not sure." He shook his head. "I mean, from what I've seen so far… I just think and something happens. On the road, I wanted to protect her with a shield or something… And today at lunch, I kinda wished I bought an umbrella to save me. And after that, I just wanted a brick wall or something to stop the teacher from getting in the classroom I was hiding in."

He listened to his description of the events, trying to think of something. "I don't know what to tell you. My guess is you can make shields or something…"

"But…", he started, "I got this _feeling_ each time. The first time wasn't much, but I could feel it. At lunch… I don't know how to describe it… but I felt like there was an umbrella in front of me. I couldn't see it, but I knew _something_ was there. It felt like I even knew where the handle was."

Jeffry could only remain silent, letting everything Phillip said sink in. He didn't know what he could do; it was very confusing. He'd never heard of such an ability. No one in any of the fiction stories and shows he watched ever displayed anyone with an ability such at this. It would require more research if he was to fully understand it.

"Well, just know that… I'm here for you." He realized they hadn't been properly introduced yet. "By the way, in case you hadn't heard, I'm Jeffry." He held out his hand.

There was a pause, a moment of awkward silence between them. But in his own time, Phillip shook his hand in return. "Phillip." Upon letting go of his hand, he sighed and looked around ahead of him before turning his gaze back to Jeffry. "What exactly is it that you do? The thing with the locks was kinda weird…"

"I think I'm telek---" There was a noise from behind them; the two of them looked behind them, looking over the school. _What was that? It sounded like something hit the ground…_"Did you hear that?"

"Yea, had to make sure I wasn't the only one." The two hopped off the table, walking slowly towards the sound. They were getting closer and closer to the school now. "Oh shit…"

Jeffry looked to Phillip, then followed his now pointing finger up to the roof. They had stopped just in time to see that there was a figure on the roof. It looked to be a girl. And she didn't look like one of the janitors.

"MOVE OUT THE WAY!" The girl screamed down to them. Jeffry backed up some more, allowing him to fully see the girl. "I SAID MOVE!"

"What the hell is she doing?!" Phillip took one step back, a tear from the girl 150 feet above barely missing his face. He turned his head to look at Jeffry. "I think she's gonna jump!"

"Whatever you do! DON'T GET TO CLOSE TO THE EDGE!" Jeffry cupped his hands over his mouth, screaming to her.

"SHUT UP! NOTHING IS WORTH LIVING FOR ANYMORE!" They could both see that her arms were folding and unfolding rapidly, as if she wasn't sure of how she wanted them in her last moments. Her hair was a mess, and there was a small stack of books to her side.

"But nothing is worth dieing over!" Jeffry replied back to her.

"THAT STUPID ACCIDENT KILLED MY BOYFRIEND!"

Jeffry's heart stopped for a moment. _I… did what?_ He gulped, blinking. He was at a loss for words.

"Jeffry… Jeffry!" Phillip shook him out of his coma-like state. "We need to go get help!"

"Alright," Jeffry said, "I'll go get a counselor and the principal and some people, while you try to calm her down. Okay? See if you can like… 'shield' her way down or something."

"But--- wha--- I---" Phillip didn't have time to get a word out. Jeffry was already gone.

"You'll do fine!" Jeffry said as he ran inside, mind filled with a deep thought… _I can't believe I killed someone…

* * *

_

So, he was left with the psycho-chick. _Juuuuust wonderful. _Phillip cast his gaze up to the roof of the school, trying to think of a way to calm her down.

"Please… girl…. PLEASE DON'T JUMP!" It was the only thing he could think of, so he went with that. Apparently, however, this plea went in vain.

"No one can save me…" Her voice level dropped slightly, and he could see her take a step closer to the edge. There wasn't much time left.

_What I wouldn't give for a ladder right now!_ He snapped his fingers in protest with his dumb luck. Shaking his head, he began walking in circles for a few seconds before noticing a strange feeling he head. _What the hell…_He looked around for a moment, trying to identify why this strange feeling kept occurring.

At first, there was nothing. But upon closer observation with the wall, there was a strange presence – a tall presence, at that – that he felt was causing this. He couldn't see anything, but he could _feel_ something was there, in his mind and body somehow. He reached out his right hand to feel if the presence was also physical. To his surprise… he could feel something that felt like cold metal. Upon further moving of his hand along where he thought he felt the presence, he came to the conclusion that there was truly something there. Something that was not there before. _A… ladder?_ He stood in front of this presence and grabbed a part of it, beginning the climbing process. It seemed to be at an incline, and he continued to go up, his body knowing exactly how to climb the invisible object.

"What the hell are you doing! GET DOWN!"

_This is freaky… I'm climbing an invisible ladder?_ He shook his head, almost not hearing the girl. As he ascended upward, he tried to make sure she didn't jump on his way up, opening his mouth to speak. "Don't--- AAAAH!!!" He _was_ about ten feet off the ground, but after speaking only that one word, he had come face-to-face with the ground. "Ow, shit…" He sat up, tending to his aching parts.

_It just… went away? I didn't even get a chance to finish my sentence. With that one word it… _He blinked, looking back up to the girl, thinking back. _It went away…

* * *

_

That boom scared him shitless; he was certain they were both set to die that night. But upon opening his eyes, he found himself virtually in the same spot, with the car totally unharmed -- well, as unharmed as it was before the explosion. _What the hell…?_ He first looked to Larhonda, checking to make sure she was still okay. When that was through, he climbed out of the vehicle, looking around. The other car ceased to exist, so there wasn't much of anything else to look at but shrapnel, minor flames, and a few things tossed her and there.

Accompanying the nothing-ness around him now was this _feeling._ This feeling that something was there, but he knew he couldn't see it. The feeling seemed to explain everything about itself to him unconsciously, somehow knowing that it formed a dome around him and his girlfriend. Hand reached out to touch it, but the chance was never allowed.

There was a cough coming from the lying girl. "Phillip…" Her voice was weak, but she was alive.

"Larhonda!" The feeling faded, and the thought entirely was pushed to the back of his mind. He hugged her, kissed her, and helped her up.

* * *

_Talking! Talking gets rid of the feeling!_ He looked up, seeing her even closer to the edge than she was the last time. 

"Goodbye love… May I see you soon…" Her body tilted forward slightly… and she plummeted.

_Oh shit!_ Phillip scrambled to his feet, suddenly getting a huge boost of adrenaline. He knew what he had to do. His right and left hand were positioned like they were holding something and he wished. _Trampoline!_ The feeling was back. It was different, but like that first time, it was all explained to him. He pulled it under the falling girl's path and let go, taking a step back just in time to see her fall right on the spot…

Her body bounced a bit, bounced again, again, again, and again until coming to a complete stop.

"Are you alright?" Phillip neared her, watching her finish her plummet to the ground safely, helping her up. When he didn't get an answer, he checked her. _She must've fainted from the fall…_

"Phillip! I got them! They're going up--- How'd she get down?" Jeffry came running back to him, out of breath, with a few adults behind him.

With a smile, and new found confidence, he replied "I caught her."

* * *

"So, you mean to tell me she fell and you… wait… what did you say you did again?" 

Third lunch. The very next day. The incident hadn't even been reported on the news, and the girl thought she dreamt most of it, so there identities were safe. Jeffry and Phillip were sitting at a table across from each other, laughing, talking, and eating their lunch.

"I told you a billion times!" Another laugh from Phillip, pulling out a G.I. Joe man for his example. "Okay, she was on the roof," he said, positioning it high above the lunch table, "and then suddenly she just fell off." he showed this in the example. With a free hand, he grabbed an empty milk carton from Jeffry's tray, positioning it under the action figure. "Then, I somehow just knew how to work my powers and… there was a trampoline. She bounced," he displayed," and bounced and bounced. Then I talked – which I found out makes my stuff go away – picked her up, and then you came." He dropped the toy on the table to take a bite of his food.

"Wow… Dude, this is crazy. How weird is this?" Jeffry said, sipping the last of his orange juice from the carton.

"But remember, you can't tell ANYONE!" He smiled, reaching out a hand to pick up his toy. But, from what Jeffry could suddenly tell, Phillip looked like he had seen a ghost.

"What… What's wrong?" Jeffry said, looking to where Phillip was pointing: the G.I. Joe. It was… standing, with it's arms crossed.

"Are you doing that?" Phillip asked Jeffry, who shook his head.

"No, he's not doing it," the action figure talked. The two teens almost fell out of their seats. "AND YOU BETTER NOT TELL ANYONE MY SECRET, PHILLIP!" The doll turned to face Phillip, little fingers balled into a fist, hands in a pre-boxer stance, giving him the angriest face ever…


End file.
